NITTANY NOTES: Lions miss Belton in loss

STATE COLLEGE - Penn State had to face Nebraska with one of its best weapons on the sideline and out of uniform.

Leading rusher Bill Belton sat out the Nittany Lions' frustrating 23-20 overtime loss to the Cornhuskers on Saturday with various maladies that combined to hold him out of practice for most of the week.

Head coach Bill O'Brien said Belton, who entered the game with 796 rushing yards this season, missed practice time with a shoulder injury and a case of strep throat tis week.

But backup Akeel Lunch managed only nine yards on five carries, and the Nittany Lions' rushing attack lacked the versatility it showed in recent weeks because of it.

"He offers a lot," tackle Garry Gilliam said of losing Belton. "Obviously, he has a little bit of a different running style than Zach, so we missed that. For the defense to have to change their plan of attack after each series to accommodate for that, it's tough."

Not special, again

A pair of missed field goals, one coming in overtime.

A fumbled snap that led to a blocked punt.

A kickoff return for a touchdown that gave Nebraska the lead just moments after Penn State claimed it for the first time in the second half.

That was the day Penn State's special teams had on Saturday and, clearly, O'Brien wasn't pleased with the results.

"We gave up a kickoff return for a touchdown, which isn't ever good," he said. "They're good kids, though. And they work hard."

Nine of the 11 members of the kickoff coverage team, which allowed Nebraska returner Kenny Bell's 99-yard touchdown in the third quarter to make it 14-13, were once or currently are walk-ons. It's the one area of the team where the effects of the NCAA's sanctioned scholarship restrictions are most tangible. It marked the second consecutive game in which the kickoff coverage allowed a touchdown return, coupled with the 100-yarder from Purdue's Raheem Mostert a week earlier.

But Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said he didn't notice anything on film that led him to believe his returners could be certain a big play was in the offing.

"I think they are well-coached on special teams," Pelini said. "I just think we made a good play and had some nice blocks. There wasn't anything we thought we could particularly exploit."

Against the wind

Winds gusted to about 30 mph on Saturday at Beaver Stadium, and they were steadily near 20 mph throughout the game.

O'Brien said the wind had no effect on the game for the Nittany Lions, who he maintained simply didn't make enough plays.

Quarterback Christian Hackenberg concurred.

"We practice outside all week, so we are prepared for it," the true freshman said. "It's Penn State. We understand we're going to have to play in some cold games."

Last goodbye

The Nittany Lions have one more game to play, but this was the Beaver Stadium finale for the 17 seniors whose names were announced as part of the Senior Day festivities before the game.

One player who played his last game but who wasn't announced with the other seniors was backup receiver Alex Kenney. He will run track after the season, and O'Brien said he simply didn't want to be announced with the other seniors on Saturday.

"That was a personal decision that Alex and I had," he said. "He is a great kid, and I will leave that between Alex and I."

O'Brien also said that it does not look as if tight end Matt Lehman, who petitioned the NCAA for a medical redshirt after blowing out his knee in the season opener against Syracuse at MetLife Stadium, "probably won't get his sixth year." So, O'Brien named him one of Penn State's four captains for the game.

Nittany notes

Penn State receiver Allen Robinson had a 43-yard catch in the fourth quarter on the way to his ninth career 100-yard receiving game. He has nine catches of 40 yards or more this season. ... Call Zwinak "Mr. Consistency." In his last three games, he has rushed for 150 yards at Minnesota, 149 against Purdue and 149 against Nebraska. ... Penn State is just the second team in Big Ten history to play three overtime conference games in the same season, joining the 2012 Wisconsin Badgers. ... Penn State punted 11 times on Saturday, its most since punting 11 times against Florida State in the 2006 Orange Bowl. ... Hackenberg had his eighth 200-yard passing game this season, tying him for third on the single-season list with Daryll Clark in 2009. Only West Scranton's Matt McGloin (11) in 2012 and Kerry Collins (10) in 1994 had more.

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com @psubst on Twitter

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